SpiritDog Training - Helping Anxious Dogs Through Mental Stimulation

Posted on 15 February, 2022

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Having an anxious dog is stressful for both you and your canine. No one likes to feel anxious – our dogs included.

Luckily, there are many things you can do to help your anxious dog. On top of behavioural modification training and medication, extra mental stimulation can help some anxious canines.

Just like people, some dogs think a bit too much. You may find it hard to imagine what your dog could be worrying about, but we’re sure your anxious dog has a long list.

High-strung dogs tend to worry about cars driving by, strange noises, empty food bowls, and similar dog issues. Canines that have extra mental space usually worry about things more. If your dog doesn’t have anything better to do, they may find themselves staring out the window and worrying!

Therefore, mental stimulation can sometimes be helpful. This tends to be most useful in intelligent breeds, though all dogs will benefit to some extent.

Does Mental Stimulation Help Anxious Dogs?

Not all the time! Some dogs have other reasons for their anxiety that mental stimulation isn’t going to help.

For instance, dogs that are particularly scared and anxious about a specific event, person, or thing likely won’t benefit from mental stimulation. They’ll still get anxious when the scary thing shows up.

But dogs that generally seem anxious often benefit from having something else to worry about. For some dogs, anxiety may be pent up mental energy. Without anything to focus on, dogs start “making up” their problems.

This is especially prone in herding and shepherd dogs of all sizes - from big German Shepherds to tiny Toy Aussies!

Mental stimulation can also work as a distraction for some canines. Your dog may still be worried about the cars driving by outside, but they may not if they’re focused on a puzzle toy. It’s a way to pull your dog’s attention elsewhere so that they aren’t so caught up with whatever gives them anxiety.

Ways to Mentally Stimulate Your Dog

There are many different ways to provide your dog with a mentally stimulating lifestyle. Here are some of our favourite options:

1. Go Outside

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Inside your home isn’t exactly exciting or stimulating most of the time. It is straightforward for dogs to get bored when stuck in the same place day after day.

Getting outside is automatically more stimulating for your dog. Even if it’s in the same yard that your dog has been in countless times, there are new sounds, sights, and smells.

Walking is a great way to mentally stimulate your dog and get some exercise in. However, be sure you schedule enough time for sniffing and exploring.

For dogs, smelling is a lot like reading a book. It provides a lot of mental stimulation in a short amount of time. If you want a fast way to stimulate your canine mentally, take them on a 15-minute walk around the neighbourhood. One or two walks a day is plenty to stimulate some dogs.

2. Do More Training

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Of course, some dogs need a bit more than a couple of walks a day.

We recommend implementing daily training for most dogs. Even after your dog has learned the basic commands, training provides mental stimulation and keeps them on their toes. Plus, many dogs love training. It is likely one of the few times they have your full attention.

Cover the basic commands first. Your dog should know how to sit, stay, and come, for instance.

However, after that, move onto advanced commands and tricks – don’t just stop training altogether.

Anxious dogs may benefit from desensitization training, especially if they are usually anxious around particular objects or events. While this is essential for treating some anxious dogs, it isn’t exactly the sort of training we’re talking about.

Even if your dog is involved in desensitization training, we recommend some regular training sessions as well.

3. Use Puzzle Toys

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There are many toys on the market specifically designed to mentally stimulate your dog. If your canine needs some extra mental stimulation, we highly recommend investing in a few puzzle toys.

Look for toys that are multi-levelled. These have a longer lifespan than toys with only one function. Once your dog figures out the one function, the toy is practically useless. Choose those that change and adjust.

Puzzle toys can be set up and left around the house during the day. If you plan on doing this, get more than one puzzle toy and set them all up around the house. Your dog will be entertained for a more extended portion of the day and is less likely to become stressed.

4. Play Games

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Dogs love to play games! Hide-and-seek is a great option that utilizes the come and stay command while mentally stimulating your canine.

The premise is straightforward. Put your dog in the stay command, hide, and then say come. Start somewhere very easy. It may take a few times for your dog to realize that finding you is part of the game. They may walk away and give up if you hide somewhere too tricky!

Once they’re actively seeking you out, amp up the game by hiding in difficult spots.

Usually, 10 to 15 minutes is plenty for most dogs. If you have the time, pairing this game with a walk or two is often enough to keep most breeds mentally stimulated.

The best part about games is that you can adjust them to your dog’s level. You can’t do that with pre-set puzzle toys. Brilliant dogs will need their owners to hide in challenging spots, but it is one of the best ways to give their minds a workout.

5. Integrate Commands into Everyday Life

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Everything we’ve mentioned thus far has to have a specific amount of time set aside for it. However, commands are an easy way to stimulate your dog without spending much time at all.

The idea is to integrate commands into everyday life. Make your dog sit for their food bowl. Ask them to perform a series of tricks before heading on your walk. Randomly ask your dog to perform tricks as you walk by.

Ask your dog to perform commands in new and unusual places always provides some level of mental stimulation. Of course, the more complex the command is, the more mental stimulation it will provide. However, you don’t want to ask your dog to do something too complicated. Setting them up for success is still important!

We recommend only using commands that your dog knows very well for this purpose. Performing commands out of the blue and in new situations can be extremely difficult for some dogs.

Final Thoughts

Mental stimulation isn’t always the answer for anxious dogs. However, it can provide a distraction for dogs with generalized anxiety. Plus, it can’t hurt!

Many dogs don’t get enough mental stimulation in their life, but it isn’t difficult to add more.

Extra training and implementing commands into your daily life is a great option. Even 10 to 15 minutes of training can be enough for some breeds.

Walks are also an easy way to provide stimulation – especially if you take the time to let your dog sniff and explore. Next time you take your dog on a walk, plan on taking a bit longer and let them use their brains as well as their legs.

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